Message to Batch 2020
Congratulations, SHS Batch 2020! Let us celebrate your milestone in a very unique, virtual and personal way. This has never happened before. We pray that this crisis will never ever happen again. Let this school year’s theme inspire you- Filipino Youth in Mission: Beloved. Gifted. Empowered. Graduating during pandemic times truly makes all of you our nation’s Filipino youth-in-mission. We hope that what the world is now experiencing has enlightened you not just about the kind of future you want for yourselves but about the kind of leaders, nation builders, agents of change and catalysts of progress you need to become to create a future that is true, good, and beautiful for all of mankind. You have a mission. Be role models of the 5Cs wherever God will bring you. Infect your family, classmates, teachers, friends, relatives, and strangers with the joy of being Christ-centered, competent, compassionate, committed to God and to society as a steward of creation, and of having a well-formed conscience. “Set the world on fire” with the 5Cs. It is your antidote to our sick world.
To our beloved parents, please accept our sincerest gratitude for choosing our Jesuit educational institution to form your sons and daughters in the tradition of the Ignatian Spirituality. Students, your dear parents fully and freely shared their time, talent, and treasure to make every school initiative a success story. What a wonderful expression of their love for you.
My dear Seniors, soldiers of Christ, I saw the beautiful graduation photos and class pictures that were posted yesterday and they made my heart melt. I felt sorry I was not given the chance to shake your hands warmly and congratulate you with a big smile since all of you are very special to us. 2018 was our first year at the SHS, remember? You, as Grade 11 learners, and I, as the principal. We were in this journey together. Yes, I know all of you well. I saw the blood, sweat, and tears you invested so you could proudly walk on stage in 2020 as young men-and-women-for-and-with-others who will give glory to God. We are so proud of what you have accomplished and who you have become.
As you stay home in solidarity with our countrymen in order to stop the spread of the virus, it is our hope that you will use this unexpected gift of solitude to befriend Jesus, to grow in His love, and to discover how He wants to use you so that when this is all over you will begin to genuinely live as God’s beloved, gifted, and empowered youth ready to conquer the world for Christ. During your two-year stay with us, your SHS family- administrators, teachers, staff, custodians, and security personnel- genuinely cared for you. We will miss you. Be hopeful. Your much-awaited graduation has been postponed indefinitely. What we know is everything happens for a reason and it will take place in God’s perfect time.
